CUBAN FREE AGENT: YASMANY TOMAS

Yasmany Tomas may look like Vladamir Guerrero at age 40, but he plays like that young exuberant Vladdy we all loved in his youth. Tomas has a medium length swing and can stay inside the pitch. Frequently hitting the ball up the middle and to right field, Tomas exhibits some maturity in his swing by going with the pitch, yet immaturity with his ‘swing at everything’ (Salvador Perez…) approach. There is definitely some free swinging in his game, yet he slaps breaking pitches the other way, and turns on hangers and heat. There’s no question that a 23-year-old Tomas has had one too many Cuban sandwiches, but with an offseason preparing for MLB Free Agency, he should be getting his large 6’1″ 230 lb frame in shape.

Other than hitting, Yasmany Tomas looks a lot of fun. He’s got a big arm, and a bigger personality – he can even run a little bit. However, it’s not all pretty for Tomas. His uppercut swing plane creates holes, and he has some significant swing and miss in his game. He could end up being a stud who hits for power yet strikes out a lot (Marcell Ozuna) or a bust who can’t succeed in a hitter’s park (Dayan Viciedo). Both of those guys are big lumbering right-handers who have had different levels of success.

With the success Jose Abreu in his first season as a Major Leaguer, it is very possible that the market for Tomas has exponentially increased. A player who profiles much more similar to Abreu than their countryman Rusney Castillo, may attract more attention, and more dollars from teams. Castillo earned a 7-year $72.5 million contract and Abreu a 6 year $68 million contract. I anticipate Tomas to earn more than both of them from teams trying to secure a middle of the order bat. I project that the Padres are the front-runner in this and are willing to go 7 years and upwards of $12 million per year. The Marlins are at that similar offer point and could win him. Both of those franchises see the success of Abreu as a building block for The White Sox and desire a similar return. If the Phillies or Rangers get involved, the price for Tomas is going up and could exceed a $100 million contract offer. Should be interesting to see what happens with this Yasmany. Inevitably, he will be making YasMany American Dollars as a risky and hopefully productive Major Leaguer. If he can